Like Razor’s Edge, the previous book in the Empire and Rebellion series, James S. A. Corey’s Honor Among Thieves harkens back to a simpler time in the Expanded Universe.

Like it says on the tin, the book is Han-centric, and keeps a fairly close character focus – It serves the story, and this one feels even more back-to-basics than Razor’s Edge. Yes, it’s short, but
this isn’t a story that requires a tome – though Corey is more than capable of such, if you’re familiar with their Expanse books. It’s a quick, fun read, and despite a bit of potential galaxy-shaping consequences, there is not a lick of the Force.

Star Wars Books has just released a full blurb for James S.A. Corey’s Han-centric Empire and Rebellion book, Honor Among Thieves:

When the mission is to extract a high-level rebel spy from the very heart of the Empire, Leia Organa knows the best man for the job is Han Solo—something the princess and the smuggler can finally agree on. After all, for a guy who broke into an Imperial cell block and helped destroy the Death Star, the assignment sounds simple enough.

But when Han locates the brash rebel agent, Scarlet Hark, she’s determined to stay behind enemy lines. A pirate plans to sell a cache of stolen secrets that the Empire would destroy entire worlds to protect—including the planet where Leia is currently meeting with rebel sympathizers. Scarlet wants to track down the thief and steal the bounty herself, and Han has no choice but to go along if he’s to keep everyone involved from getting themselves killed. From teeming city streets to a lethal jungle to a trap-filled alien temple, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and their daring new comrade confront one ambush, double cross, and firestorm after another as they try to keep crucial intel out of Imperial hands.

But even with the crack support of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing squadron, the Alliance heroes may be hopelessly outgunned in their final battle for the highest of stakes: the power to liberate the galaxy from tyranny or ensure the Empire’s reign of darkness forever.

The book is second in the loosely-connected series and scheduled for a hardcover release on March 4. The first, Martha Wells’ Razor’s Edge, is out September 24, but you can check out my review now.

Iron Man writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby will are scripting a pilot based on the The Expanse space opera series by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, Variety reports.

“The Expanse” will be an hourlong scifi drama with elements of a detective procedural, centring on a cover-up of the discovery of alien life. Alcon [Television Group] said it is developing the project in direct-to-series fashion internally before shopping to networks.

I’ll be interested to see how the books translate to screen; I raved about the first two way back in January and I still recommend it after Abaddon’s Gate, came out in June.

Abraham and Franck, who co-write under the Corey pen name, just turned in the final version of upcoming Star Wars novel, Honor Among Thieves, into Del Rey.

Random House has posted a short blurb for James S.A. Corey’s Honor Among Thieves.

When a rebel spy needs extraction from under the nose of the Empire, who better to send than master smuggler, Han Solo? But rescuing a friendly spy is just the start of a wild adventure as the intel the spy uncovers leads Han and Leia to an ancient and deadly secret that threatens to be the Empire’s ultimate-and likely successful-weapon against the Rebel Alliance. Add in the chance to lose Luke Skywalker to this horrific threat, and Han and Chewbacca may have finally met a trap even they can’t escape…

The book, second in the loosely-connected Empire and Rebellion series, is currently scheduled for a hardcover release in March. The first, Martha Wells’ Razor’s Edge, is out September 24. (via)

Street date shuffle. James S. A. Corey’s Honor Among Thieves, the Han-centric second novel of the Empire and Rebellion series, has appeared in the Random House catalog with a release date of March 4. Per usual this is subject to change – we’ve already seen Martha Wells’ Leia book move up twice – so pencil it in.

Upcoming. There’s an excerpt from John Jackson Miller’s Kenobi on the Random House catalog. There’s also a new short story from him, ‘Incognito,’ in the latest issue of the Star Wars Insider, which should be hitting subscriber mailboxes soon if it hasn’t already.

Reviews. James finds that the start of the new story arc in Brian Wood’s Star Wars #7 is full of tension, but light on action, and brings in a new artist, Ryan Kelly, who had previously worked with Wood elsewhere. (Plus a female Moff?!)

Nebula Award finalist Martha Wells makes her Star Wars debut with a brand-new classic Star Wars: Rebels adventure starring Princess Leia and her new friends, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, in the time just after the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope!

Princess Leia Organa is on a mission for the Rebel Alliance when Imperial forces attack. Now she, Han, and Luke are on their own, working with pirates and dealing with traitors as they race the clock to protect the secrecy of a crucial meeting of Rebel conspirators!

The listing also gives us (presumably tentative) dates for the other books in the series: March 2014 for James S. A. Corey’s Han book and January 2015 for Kevin Hearn’s Luke novel. (via)

In this original novel set between the events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi comes to the aid of the residents of Tatooine during his exile. But he struggles with his new mission when he realizes that protecting Luke Skywalker-the last hope of the galaxy-means setting aside his compassion and his Jedi warrior training, for the future of the galaxy lies not with Obi-Wan Kenobi, but with a mystical desert recluse known only by the name of Crazy Old Ben.

Ty Franck – one half of James S.A. Corey, who’s working on a Han Solo book for the Rebels series, gave fans the first progress update yesterday:

Ground has been broken on the Star Wars novel. An outline has been approved, and chapters are being typed. Things I’ve learned so far: It is important to know ahead of time how you will handle Chewie talking, the Star Wars universe has instantaneous communication and nearly instantaneous travel but space is STILL big enough to hide things, hyperspace is how you get away from badguys but jumping through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops kid, and Leia is the brains of the operation. If someone has a good idea, it’s Leia. Han is always always always wrong when he makes a plan or predicts the future, but man does he improvise gracefully. More robots. Always more robots.

The post got passed around quite a bit today, and well:

Thing I learned today: If you blog about writing a Star Wars novel, PEOPLE CARE.

You can learn a little more about Franck and writing partner Daniel Abraham in an excerpt from a recent interview in Locus. I also recommend checking out their first two novels – Leviathan Wakes and Caliban’s War. I have horrible luck with Star Wars writers outside of Star Wars (sorry, it’s true, no recs please) but these books are pretty fantastic. Hopefully that means good things for this Han book.